Adam Gase – March 27, 2018
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Tuesday, March 27, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Considering you guys had so many big talented names leave, do you feel like you’ve brought in the talent to replace that or is it more the sum is bigger than the parts?) – “Really the way I see it right now is that we’ve added the pieces that really go with the group that we already have. Obviously when you have the players that have left, the caliber of players that we’ve had and the guys that have had the production that they’ve had, we know that you’re not going to replace one guy with one guy. We understand that. We’re just trying to find the best fit for our locker room right now. That’s what we’re looking for anytime we bring anybody else in.”
(Are you where you thought you’d be when you took the job? You inherit a lot of pieces where you don’t have any control over it. Now do you feel like this is a roster that’s more reflective of what you’ve been looking for?) – “I think this is closer than what we talked about when we first started. Sometimes you have to go through a couple of years and really figure guys out and who fits and who wants to either move on or you want to move on from. I think we’re closer to what we’ve been looking for heading into the draft. We still have some pieces to add. We’re looking really to kind of see how it plays out. We’ll see what goes on after talking with other teams in the league. You just never know who else is going to shake free from now until the start of the season.”
(What do you guys get in replacing C Mike Pouncey with C Daniel Kilgore?) – “That’s a tough one because I think Pouncey … It’s a tough word to use, ‘replace.’ I think when you have a guy that’s done as much for this organization as Mike has, I don’t know if you can really replace him. I know Daniel will come in here and really put his spin on that position. He probably has some different traits that are strengths to him. We’ll just see how everything goes and how that group gels together, because really that’s what we’re looking for: to see if we can get those three interior guys working well together and see how well we can play this year.”
(What was the thinking behind moving on from DT Ndamukong Suh?) – “I think it was probably just the right time for us. We have a lot of young players in that d-line room. We’re kind of moving some things around this year, both on offense and defense. You have to look at everything financially, just how you want to go about heading forward.”
(With that defensive tackle group, do you feel like DT Jordan Phillips and DT Davon Godchaux can play more snaps? Davon already had 500 snaps as a rookie.) – “Yes, we’ll kind of see. We’ll keep adding to that position and keep creating competition. We’ll see how it really plays out this season. You never know with injuries and the moves that are made, whether it be the draft or trading for somebody or picking somebody up. You just never know how it’s going to shake out.”
(In what ways can WR Albert Wilson and WR Danny Amendola fill some of the WR Jarvis Landry role?) – “I don’t know. It’s really going to be … I’m looking at that as more of a group effort of we’re probably going to spread it out a little more. Ball distribution will be a little more wide-ranging than one guy. We’ll kind of see how we play this out and who is playing where. We’ll probably have guys moving around in multiple spots. I think between DeVante (Parker) and Kenny (Stills) – those two – and now you add Jakeem (Grant) in there and you add (Kenyan) Drake in there, now you’ve got Frank Gore. We’ve got a lot of guys that we’re going to need to get the ball to.”
(What was it about WR Albert Wilson that attracted you to his talent level?) – “His speed is hard to ignore. We saw first-hand how fast he is and what he can do, how he can stretch the field vertically. Then I think I’d look at a guy that when you put the ball in his hands, he makes plays. I don’t think I’ve seen too many wide receivers where a team is actually handing the ball off to him and he’s running between the tackles. He’s not a running back; but he has toughness, he has vision and he has ability to do a lot of different things, which is very intriguing to us. We feel like we have a lot of things that we can do with him.”
(And why WR Danny Amendola?) – “I think Danny fits into this system probably really well. When we started this thing, we had Wes (Welker). He kind of originated that position up in New England. By getting (Amendola), we have the type of offense that really fits him. I think he creates a lot of separation. He’s one of those guys that makes the quarterback’s job really easy. He doesn’t just get a little bit open. There’s a big window there. The quarterback has margin for error. It’s something that we’re excited about and I think he brings that element that he’s a winner. He’s played in a lot of big games. He’s won Super Bowls. He’s made big plays in huge games – game-changing plays. I think he’s going to be a great example for the rest of our locker room.”
(Why did you bring in RB Frank Gore at this stage of his career?) – “I wouldn’t doubt Frank with anything. I know a lot of people are looking at his age but with him, it’s irrelevant. He’s a different dude. I’ve known him for 10 years. We were together a long time ago (in San Francisco). He just hasn’t changed. When you watch him run, the physicality he plays with, pad level, the way that he’s able to drive defenders when they’re hanging on him and carrying them still, he’s a good fit for us. I think he’s a great guy for us to have in that locker room and that running back room. I think he’s a great guy for (Kenyan) Drake to see work day in and day out, and those two guys kind of being able to do their thing together. That’s going to be a fun thing to watch.”
(So how do you envision using both RB Frank Gore and RB Kenyan Drake?) – “We’ll figure it out. This is no different than what we were kind of doing with Damien (Williams) and Kenyan last year. I mean it’s a long season. We got caught in a couple of situations last year where Kenyan (Drake) was the only guy we had, and he had to take the majority of the carries. Really, that’s not what we want over a 16-game season. That’s going to be tough. We’ll make sure that we spread this thing out well. We’ll use both of those guys the right way.”
(You’ve spoken so highly of WR Jarvis Landry, especially the first year when you took the job. Was there a point at which maybe your vision and his went different directions?) – “I don’t think so. I think when you get to that free agency point, it’s not as easy as you think. You’re talking the amount of money somebody else wants and what you think … Not necessarily what they deserve, but how it can work for your organization. We just couldn’t find a way to meet in the middle there. Really, the next step for us was with the franchise tag and then we ended up moving on from him. He’ll do well. He’s around a good group of guys now. That group is going to be good. He’ll do what he’s always done. He’ll have a successful season again and we’ll just see how it plays out for him.”
(Did you and WR Jarvis Landry end the season in a good place, as far as your relationship?) – “I thought we did. The last time that we spoke, everything was positive. It’s just the business side of everything. It’s just not very fun.”
(Is there a common thread among the types of players that you’re trying to bring in now that you want to add to this group?) – “I think the common thread is we’re just trying to get guys with experience winning, who have been successful, have done it right, are professionals and are just good examples. But at the same time, (we want) guys that can play. We’re trying to get guys that fit into what we’re looking to do. Right now, we feel great about the guys that we’ve acquired.”
(How good do you feel about this offensive line that you have? You have depth. What do you like about G Josh Sitton?) – “I’m just glad I don’t have to hear about guard play anymore. (laughter) We’ll keep that one down for a while. I think anytime that you have competition, that you have veteran players … I like where we’re at with our tackles right now. I think those two guys (Laremy Tunsil and Ja’Wuan James) are only going to become better with the guys that they’re playing with. It will be interesting for us to watch. I like our depth. We’re just going to have to get that cohesiveness we need. I know that we’ve talked about that a lot, where we’re always trying to figure out what’s the best thing to do. Practicing together, does that matter? If it’s every day for three months, what’s that going to do? I think we’re all in the same boat when we’re saying ‘Yes, that’s going to be a major factor.’ If we can keep guys healthy and practice together and get those reps together, that’s going to be important.”
(When you think about what you plan to do in the spring and summer with QB Ryan Tannehill, is there any sort of easing in or limiting…?) – “I don’t know if there’s anything about him that’s going to be easing in. I think he’s ready to go. I already know I’m going to get some dirty looks when I say ‘How are you doing? How does it feel?’ He’s not going to want to hear it. He’s just going to want to go. We’ll just keep … I’ll just try to do a good job of not bothering him too much; but at the same time, kind of figure out where he’s at. I know our training staff is going to do a great job of just making sure everything is good. He’s been really honest with us as far as how he feels and where he’s at. We’ll kind of see how that plays out.”
(What are you going to tell QB Ryan Tannehill in respect to running and protecting himself?) – “I mean he’s going to play his game. I don’t think he ever really put himself in harm’s way to begin with. I thought he was always smart. Occasionally I would have loved to have seen him get down; but it was usually at the right time where he knew he had no choice and he had to lower his shoulder and try to run through a guy for a big play in the fourth quarter. I know it feels like forever ago, but he got hurt in the pocket throwing a ball. Really, it’s about … If we do a good job of protecting him and he gets the ball out on time, I don’t feel like he’s going to get hit as much as he has in the past.”
(How do you think you might be able to help with QB Brock Osweiler? What does he actually bring?) – “I really like the competition we’re going to be able to have between those three guys that we have on the roster right now (Osweiler, David Fales and Brandon Doughty). We’ll kind of see how everything else goes moving forward with the draft coming up. I think Brock has the tool set really that we saw when we drafted him in Denver. He’s had a little bit of a rocky road here the last few years. When you’re used to working with a guy and you kind of know each other already and you’re able to skip a few steps and get right into the meat of the action there and just get into fine-tuning a few things … I think he’ll do well in practice with us and he’ll be able to get on the same page with guys really fast. He kind of knows how things need to be done. It’s just going to be about when you hit the preseason, how does that really work out? Can you get those other guys to play well around you and can you make the right decisions?”
(Going back to QB Ryan Tannehill a second, so he will be ready to go at the start of training camp?) – “He’ll be ready go in OTAs. He’ll be doing stuff from the beginning of the offseason.”
(How do you see the linebacker situation taking shape right now?) – “We keep trying to look to address this … We’ve probably got one hole right now. We’re looking for either somebody to step up and take that spot or we’ve got to bring somebody else in, whether that be the draft, trade or somebody getting cut from another team. We’ll kind of see how it plays out going forward. It’s hard to predict right now. We’ve got some young players that we’re encouraged by. We feel like Kiko (Alonso) and Raekwon (McMillan) are two guys that we really like. We’ll be excited to get Raekwon back. We’ll just kind of see how it plays out. It’s hard to predict anything right now, especially since we still have the draft. We’ve still got a lot of time before the season starts. We’re just going to have to see how it plays out.”
(At that position, what did LB Stephone Anthony show you?) – “I think we got a good first look at him. I thought he did a great job in practice. The times that we got him into games, he did a lot of good things. We’re just going to kind of see how it plays out. I don’t want to promise anything to anybody. I think we’re just going to … Competition is going to be a good thing for us.”
(Without asking you to tip your hand regarding the draft or the future of your roster, do you believe it’s imperative for you guys to get a good, young quarterback in the draft this year at some point?) – “I think we just … I think (General Manager) Chris (Grier) will do a good job putting the draft board together and we’ll pick the right guys. For me to say that, it’s just hard to know. I don’t know how the draft is going to fall. I don’t know who … What if three teams trade up even higher than what we’ve been seeing and everybody’s gone? Are we taking a guy just to take a guy? I mean I’d love to add a quarterback as much as anybody else but at the same time, I want it to be the right guy for us.”
(With the acquisition of DE Robert Quinn and DE William Hayes coming back, are you going to find yourself having a hard time figuring out how to get all of those d-ends on the field?) – “I was always told you can never have enough d-ends and corners by somebody, so we’ll figure it out. I’d rather have more than not enough.”
(What do you think, aside from QB Ryan Tannehill’s injury, the biggest issue with the team was last year? And how have you gone about trying to fix that this offseason?) – “I think we had a lot of … There were a lot of little … There were some big things and some little things that came up last year. A lot of us had to deal with a lot of adversity. I think it was a learning lesson for a lot of us. I know I went through a lot of things last year that were not in the handbook. There were some tough spots to get put in; but I thought some guys did well. They handled adversity well. Some guys didn’t handle it as well. We probably learned a lot about a lot of guys. It was one of those things that at the time you’re going through it, it’s not really the (most) fun thing to do, but it’s a great learning experience moving forward.”
(What did you learn about the job from dealing with some of crazy stuff?) – “Just to expect anything. You just never know what it could be.”
(Did it make you better?) – “Yes. I mean it was either adapt or die. You had no choice. That’s the way I saw it. You had to figure out a way to deal with the situation and still get ready for the game, work to get our coaching staff ready and make sure our coaching staff was getting our players ready. It was interesting. It was interesting to go through a lot of the things last year that we went through.”
(How do you think that impacted the team’s performance? All of those constant distractions.) – “You wish you could say it didn’t have any impact. I think a lot of guys would say … Just talking to them after the season, some guys got distracted by it, by certain things; but some guys assert things over others. I think everybody had a little different feel each week of if something came up, if that bothered them or it didn’t. I think everybody was a little bit different, but I think we kind of fell apart to that a little bit.”
(Is there an example of that adversity that we don’t know about that you can share?) – “No. ”
(I apologize if you’ve been asked this before but what attracted you to WR Danny Amendola and how do you see him operating in your offense?) – “Really just to know a guy that really fits into what we’re doing. He’s an experienced guy, a guy that’s been in big games, made plays in big games. He’s been part of an organization that’s won a lot and he’s a guy that can absolutely be a huge impact in our locker room. He can help other players on offense and help our team in general. I think it will be good for our guys to see how he works, how he does meetings and how he goes about his business. I remember when we signed Wes (Welker) in Denver, that was one of the biggest things that he did was when our young guys saw him practice, they were shocked because they couldn’t believe how hard he went and how fast he did everything. There was no half speed or take this play off. It just didn’t exist. He was full speed all the time.”
(What went into the decision to follow through on the fifth-year option for T Ja’Wuan James?) – “I think we looked through all our options. I think he had a chance to kind of think through how he felt. We had a lot of discussion with him, his agent, us – between (Offensive Coordinator) Dowell (Loggains) and (Offensive Line Coach) Jeremiah (Washburn) and (Assistant Offensive Line Coach) Chris Kuper – and we felt like at the end of the day, Ja’Wuan wanted to be back. He wanted to be back. He wanted to get an opportunity to really finish off last year the right way. He wanted to continue in building on what he felt he was building on. We had a great conversation to where I think all of us felt really good that he deserves that shot to get what he wants, where he can come in, he can be a part of that group and be an impact guy for us. I think he … The biggest thing that excited me is that he wanted to be … It meant a lot for him to be back. He wanted to be on this team. He wanted to be a part of this. He wanted to be part of us taking last season, building off it and then finding out a way to win this year.”
(You lost a lot of veterans in the last offseason. Who do you think the leaders are going forward?) – “We’ll find out. I mean right now … feel like we’ve added more guys than we lost. I know free agency, a lot of guys were taken away there and whether we released guys or traded guys; but I think we’re adding good pieces to the puzzle here and I feel like we’re only going to get better leadership wise.”
(Regarding special teams, where do you see the leadership there and how do you see…?) – “Did (Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren) Rizzi put you up to this? Did Rizzi call this one in? Darren from Fort Lauderdale? (laughter)”
(I just know you lost a good number of special teams players…) – “We lost a good player (in Michael Thomas). I think when we started this thing, we knew between Mike and Walt both being up, it wasn’t going to be an easy thing for us to get both of those guys back. I think what we kind of predicted for ourselves and what happened was two different things. I really felt like Mike was going to be quick. I didn’t think he’d last this long on the open market. We wanted to make sure we got Walt done and we were able to do that. There were a couple of things we weren’t able to get done to help our special teams. I think Walt is a guy that we’re going to see really step up in a leadership role this year. I don’t know if anybody can really replace Mike as far as his leadership goes and his ability to make plays was outstanding. He’s a tackling machine, but we also have a lot of guys that were impact players that we still have on the roster between Mike Hull and Walt and the rest of that group. We’ve got a good crew of guys and we’ve added some guys that are actually going to be able to help on special teams, so we’ll kind of see how it plays out.”
(What excited you about DE Robert Quinn, to be able to get him without a ton of compensation back and he’s still only 27?) – “We got a young player that (can) rush the passer, loves playing football and he’s got a great motor. When you watch him on film, the guy just keeps rushing the passer. I think adding him and then getting William Hayes back, that was big for us. Those are two guys to add to that room that we feel really good about. Getting William back, that was big for a lot of us. We really wanted to make sure he was in our building this year. He was very impactful. It was unfortunate he got hurt last year, but I think that was something that was lingering for a long time with him and somehow he’s played through it. I think it just got to a point where he couldn’t handle it anymore. The pain was just that extreme. The doctors were right. They said as soon as he has this surgery, he’s going to feel like he’s ready to go the next day, and he did. I’m excited to see a healthy William Hayes go.”
(In terms of your defensive tackles with DT Jordan Phillips, DT Davon Godchaux and DT Vincent Taylor, how much development are you expecting from that trio and also, do you feel like you have enough at that position?) – “We’re always going to look to add. We’re going to look to add competition. I think these guys will … They’re only going to get better. I like what we’re doing with (Defensive Line Coach) Kris Kocurek. He’s going to get those guys better. That’s all he has ever done in his career. He has taken guys that sometimes when you watch some of his past film, some of those guys that you’re not really sure who they are, but they’re playing hard, they’re getting to the ball, they’re harassing the quarterback. He gets guys better. I think those guys fit in the mold that he’s looking for, and he’s going to get those players better. If things play out the way they seem to always play out, we’re going to probably add multiple pieces somewhere to where we can create competition, and we’ll kind of see how that plays out.”
(How big was it bringing DE William Hayes back to the fold?) – “It was huge. He’s probably one of my favorite guys to just watch play, to play in games and play in practice. His love for football, it’s hard to match. I think he’s contagious. Other guys really feed off of his energy, especially on game day. The physicality he plays with … I know we love using this word, setting the edge. He does a great job doing that. That’s something that he brings that we need.”
(What kind of step could TE A.J. Derby make after being with the team through OTAs this year and training camp?) – “I’m really interested to see what we can do with him. When he came on board, I wasn’t really sure where he was health-wise. It was just kind of a weird situation. Being able to … Seeing him go out the first day and he’s running around and he’s fine and I could tell the quarterbacks really liked working with him. Anytime you get a guy that has been a former quarterback, he seems to have a great feel for where to be, where to fit in, kind of what that guy is thinking. We’ll kind of see what we can do developing him. I think he’s one of those guys that has a great feel in the slot and kind of that one-on-one spot versus a safety or linebacker. We’ll see how it plays out.”
(As far as the rest you have at that position at the moment, has TE Thomas Duarte taken any steps as a blocker to make you think…?) – “I think so. We did something in the middle of the season last year where kind of talking to (Tight Ends Coach) Shane (Day) and Clyde (Christensen), we talked about putting him in with the ones and seeing what happened. Shane did a good job. He put him in there on a majority of run plays and pass protections. We’re in pads. It was great to see him really throwing his hat in there. He was being physical. He was doing things right. That gave us a lot of confidence to we feel like things are heading in the right direction. I think this is going to be a really important offseason for him, so when he hits training camp, he’s not thinking, he’s playing and reacting and he’s able to play physical. Then at the same time, when he gets his opportunities in the passing game, he makes the most of them.”
(How would you describe what G Josh Sitton and C Daniel Kilgore bring together and maybe how their skillset and their personality type might impact the overall production of the line?) – “I haven’t been around those two guys long enough to really … We’re talking about a couple hours I’ve been with them. I really need to experience this. I can go off of what I’ve heard, which has been positive for us. I’m going off of what two guys that were with them for two years, their experience with them in Chicago. I know with what we’re getting with Josh, we’re getting a guy that has been a Pro Bowler. He has won. He has played with an elite quarterback. I think he’s excited to have this opportunity, being able to help a young player that’s playing next to him. I think that’s something that really excited him. As far as Daniel goes, I’ve got nothing but positive feedback from those guys out there. I have a great relationship between Kyle (Shanahan) and John (Lynch), Paraag (Marathe) and Jed (York) and all of those guys. Those guys couldn’t say enough about him. I feel like we’re getting two good dudes that are hard workers, that want to do it right, that want to be part of the solution of us winning. I think we’re going to have the positive results we’re looking for.”
(I’m curious about one thing with the draft. A lot of the quarterbacks have said how much they enjoyed meeting with you, that they really liked you, that they really connected with you.) – “Don’t sound so surprised.” (laughter)
(Well, the one that really didn’t surprise me was Baker Mayfield.) – “Right.”
(Just personality-wise – I’m not asking for like a breakdown or whether you want to pick him or any of that – but personality-wise, he seems like he would be perfect for you. You guys seem almost the same.) – “We’re close in personality probably. I enjoy watching him play. I like the way he plays. That whole group of guys … It’s rare that you’re talking about this many guys at the top of the draft. Whoever is getting who, you’re getting good players across the board. You’re getting guys that are confident. You’re getting guys with a lot of talent. Really, it’s going to be kind of really your flavor as far as quarterback goes. I think Baker’s personality is something that’s infectious to other guys. I think there’s a competitiveness that you love to see. You can tell that he doesn’t want to lose at anything that he’s doing. It doesn’t matter if football … I don’t know what else he could possibly be doing, but whatever it is, he wants to win at. As a coach, you always love guys like that. You want to be around them because that gives you a little bit more. You want to give … You want to make sure you do more for that guy to put him in a better position. When you get that kind of energy from guys, it’s fun to be around. I’ve enjoyed the amount of time that we’ve been able to spend with him, whether it be the Senior Bowl, the Combine, when we do our workouts, Pro Days, things like that. It’s fun to go out and watch young guys throw and see how they act around other guys, kind of that evaluation process. You wish you weren’t so crunched with time, but it is what it is and it’s a great experience to go through those.”
(You seem to be a coach that lets his players have a personality. Do you think some of the stuff that QB Baker Mayfield does, even he admits, may have crossed the line, and that he learns from them?) – “I don’t want to expose myself as far as maybe how some of the things I do aren’t always great. Sometimes passion and emotion gets the best of you. Sometimes you do things that are positive and sometimes you do things that you look back and wish that you would’ve done something different. That’s part of this sport. That’s what it is, its emotion. It’s a violent game and a lot of things happen in a matter of split seconds. You just go with your gut and if you screw up, you try to fix it down the road.”
(It’s been mostly two quarterbacks here on the 53 since you’ve been here; but if you’re able to draft one, do you give more thought this year?) – “Probably. Yes. I think that’s something that – I mean I don’t know how many we … What were we carrying, five last year at one point? And we survived. I don’t know, it felt like it. It was a crowded room, I know that. We’re going to do what’s best for the team. We’re going to do what we think … That’s an important position. I like the guys that we have on our roster right now, and then if we add someone else, obviously we’re doing it for a good reason. At that position, the more guys that we can bring along and the more guys that we can develop, I think it’s hard to just say that we’re going to keep a practice squad guy. Last year we felt really good about how David (Fales) was coming along. That wasn’t an option. Letting him move on was not going to be an option for us.”
(Right guard, your thinking there? You’ve got a couple of options obviously with G/T Jesse Davis and C/G Ted Larsen?) – “Yes, we’ll see how this plays out. I don’t want to … We haven’t really got a chance to meet with those guys and talk football with them. We’re going to kind of work though this thing and see how it plays out. We’ve got a lot of time left.”
(With CB Tony Lippett coming back and all the young guys on the roster, what’s your confidence at cornerback?) – “It’s one of those positions you can never have enough of. We’re always going to look to add. That position, you guys always talk about drafting a quarterback every year, (you have to) draft a corner every year. It’s a tough position to play. It’s becoming a position where it’s high-priced. Now all of a sudden we’re looking at Xavien (Howard) is coming up on his contract here pretty soon. We see him getting better.”
(What kind of football player are the Chiefs getting with RB Damien Williams?) – “A tough, football intelligent, playmaker. He’s just a guy that when Sundays come around, he’s going to give you everything he has. When things are going bad, you get the ball to him and he’ll make something happen. He’s got passion for the game. He’s one of the guys I loved being around, whether it be practice or game day. Just seeing him grow over the time that we’ve been together, it was a great experience.”
(RB Damien Williams signed pretty cheaply. Why is he not back?) – “I think when he really entered this process, they were thinking more than what we were really at. By the time it circled back around, we were already kind of moving on. I was looking for what we ended up getting with Frank (Gore). I wanted that veteran guy that had a lot of experience and really could help (Kenyan) Drake take his game to the next level.”
(The way CB Tony Lippett played a couple of years ago and obviously the way CB Cordrea Tankersley came along last year, do you view that sort of as a competition?) – “I think at that spot, you’re always … I mean you play so many guys. I mean you’re playing five DBs at a time so much. Guys get banged up and they’re in and out. We’re just going to keep competing out there and see how it all unfolds and try to add as many guys as we can and try to get these young guys better. The good thing was we played a ton of guys last year, especially in the back end. I think we’re only going to get better out there.”
(CB Cordrea Tankersley’s rookie season, you would assess that how?) – “It’s hard to say. I think he got better. I think there were times where he wishes he could go back and do some things different; but that’s the rookie year. We’d love to see him come in really with the mindset of that’s his spot and he’s not going anywhere and really be aggressive as far as not let anybody take that spot that he’s had.”
(With K Cody Parkey gone, what’s your philosophical thought on preferring maybe a veteran kicker as opposed to a young one?) – “We’ll see how it goes. We’ll figure that one out as time goes on. I know (Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren) Rizzi and ‘Moof’ (Assistant Special Teams Coach Marwan Maalouf), they are getting put through the gauntlet right now. I don’t know where Darren is right now. He’s in Vancouver or I don’t know. (laughter) I don’t know where he is. He might be not … I don’t think he’s in the country. So it would’ve been hard for him to call from Ft. Lauderdale. (laughter)”
(WR Albert Wilson is going to be productive for the Miami Dolphins because of what doing what?) – “I think the variety of things that he can do. I think his speed. I think the fact that when you put the ball in his hands, he’s a guy that can take a throw behind the line of scrimmage and he can create a 70-yard touchdown. Things like that. It’s really impressive what he can do. It’s really about getting the ball in his hands. But at the same time, he has flexibility outside and inside. He has a wider range of route tree than what he did when he started in the NFL. I think he’s a quick study as well. When you watch him from 2016 to 2017, you see extremes of improvements in certain areas. I think that’s something we noticed with him right away. When you watch those two years, you went ‘Wow.’ He really became an impact player.”
(With G Josh Sitton, offensive line signings are never the sexiest thing; but what can he mean to your team?) – “He’s a veteran player, a guy that’s still playing at a high level, the leadership, the experience of winning that he has. Any time you get a guy that’s played with an elite quarterback, that’s always going to help your group because he understands how it should be. Those guys always help your quarterback because he can always ask … Ryan (Tannehill) does a good job when he gets around guys that have played with other guys and asks questions about how those guys did it as well. Those guys are always good information-wise, as far as what other teams have done, especially good teams. But getting a guy with that kind of veteran leadership, that was excited to come in for us and be an impact guy with some of our younger players, that was going to be good for us.”
(You said on WR Albert Wilson, outside or inside. He’s an elf. So how do you play him outside?) – “What did you just say? (laughter)”
(He’s very short.) – “That’s fine. That means it’s just hard to get your hands on him. That’s alright. When you see him, try to touch him and see what happens. (laughter)”
(But I’m saying, doesn’t that make it hard for your quarterback?) – “Jakeem (Grant) looked alright. We put him outside. (Albert Wilson) towers over Jakeem. (laughter)”
(Is that in the scouting report?) – “I put that. ‘Taller than Jakeem.’ They’re both taller than (Offensive Coordinator) Dowell (Loggains). I know that. (laughter) He’s going to be so mad we’re talking about him right now.”
(What you got from the safety combo once S T.J. McDonald came back, with McDonald and S Reshad Jones, was that what you were looking for? What you were looking for in spurts?) – “I don’t think it really turned out as well as we thought with what we saw in training camp. I think that eight week layoff, T.J. did a great job of being ready to go and being able to really get in there and physically be able to do it, but I think we didn’t have that chemistry we were looking for. It took those guys a while to really kind of get that feel with each other. We’ll be better getting into training camp and for us being able to continue that growth. I was feeling something good there when we were in the middle of training camp. T.J. was playing really well and Reshad and him were really doing a good job of communicating with each other and there was a good feel.”
“(Offensive Coordinator) Dowell (Loggains) says he’s 5-foot-8. Just a heads up. Don’t short him. (laughter)”
(There’s depth obviously that you need at safety with S Michael Thomas moving on. At this point, S Maurice Smith, did he show you enough before his appendicitis?) – “He did a lot of good things. It was unfortunate that we lost him for the season. That was one of our show up Friday and find out one of the guys you had plans to play that week isn’t going to play that week because he has appendicitis. He continued a good streak there, a good 10 weeks in a row. He showed us a lot. There’s a lot of good things that he did. I think like any rookie, (there were some) ups and downs; but I like that the guys he learned under in college are guys that I respect a lot. I think he knows what we’re looking for and he knows what he needs to do moving forward to contribute.”
(What do you think about how T Laremy Tunsil played last year and how does he get better?) – “I think I might not be the only one. There’s probably a lot of us sitting here that thought it would be an easy transition for him. It’s still left tackle in the NFL. I think it was tougher for him than what all of us anticipated; but I think at the same time, he felt the same way where there’s nothing easy about this. I saw a different side of him last year. I saw a guy that started to notice that it’s not that easy. He went to work and he practiced hard and he was great in meetings. The way he was watching film and his development as a professional improved last year. I think he’s excited moving forward, getting Josh (Sitton) in there and working with him, and to really be the guy that he’s wanted to be since he came out.”
(We haven’t talked about WR DeVante Parker. We’ve been hanging here for like 40 minutes and this is the first time that he’s come up. We’ve used potential and upside. Are we kind of past that now and it’s kind of like, if it’s going to happen, let’s see it?) – “I would say I feel like we know what he can do in our building. I don’t think there’s any question about what anybody feels of what he can do. I don’t even think it’s a potential thing. I think it’s a health thing. It’s just about how are we going to keep him healthy? I think that’s when we get our best DeVante Parker. I think we’re trying to do as much as we can to figure out a way to make sure when we hit spring, we start from there and we just keep building on it. It’s just unpredictable. We need a little bit of luck. We need him to do the right things and he has been. He’s been trying to do everything the right way. We’ve just kind of got to see … let the chips fall where they may.”
(We talked about the little guys. WR DeVante Parker’s skill set, because it’s different, how do you need his different skill set?) – “I’ve always been a big fan of having as many different guys as you can, and we’ve got a good variety. We’ve got a lot of speed. We have different sizes. We just need to keep guys healthy and on the field.”
(Why does it take so long for young receivers to develop in the league?) – “It’s just there’s a lot of options. There’s a lot of moving parts. There’s volume. I wish I could say ‘Hey, it’s easy. We’ll just do this.’ Then as soon as you go down that road, five minutes later your guys are going ‘They know what we’re doing.’ Or you start hearing people say ‘you’re too predictable.’ If you want to increase the volume, you better have guys that can handle it.”
(Do you know if TE Julius Thomas wants to keep playing?) – “I could not tell you. I don’t want to speak for him.”
(With where you’re at with your tight ends, is that anything you would explore? Bringing TE Julius Thomas back at the minimum or something like that?) – “I haven’t … When I talked to him at the end of the season, we had a good conversation. Really, anything past that, you guys would have to ask him.”
(And with TE Anthony Fasano?) – “We talked at the end of the year. We‘ll kind of … As of right now, we’re probably going to be in a holding pattern. We’ll kind of see what happens – whether it be the draft or after the draft – and if we feel like we have to still address anything, then we will from there.”
(What does WR Danny Amendola bring to your football team?) – “See? You guys all think I’m crazy, huh? That’s the third person to ask me about it. (laughter) Leadership. He’s a guy that has a lot of experience in big games. He fits into our offense really well. We’re excited to be able to bring in a guy like that into our locker room. He’s going to help all of our young guys, especially.”
(Was that something you thought was missing? That you thought it was an important thing for you to bring into your team?) – “It’s a similar experience that I’ve been through before, when we brought Wes (Welker) into Denver. We had a bunch of younger wide receivers that had a lot of positive things to bring to the table, but I don’t think they quite saw it through the eyes of a true professional. When Wes came in, he changed our culture and environment. He was part of the reason why we had a big swing there. Those guys saw him practice, they saw him play in games, they saw the way he did things in meetings and in the locker room. He was a big reason a lot of things changed there. Danny has a lot of the same personality traits and I think a guy like Ryan Tannehill is going to benefit a lot from being around a guy like that.”
(Last year you talked about how it was 0-0 going into 2017. The 2016 season was over and it didn’t matter. You needed to start over and that was like the mindset, the mentality and the message. I’m wondering how you would describe the mindset, the messaging and the mentality for the group entering this offseason and this season.) – “I think we have so many different guys now, I don’t think anybody really cares about what happened last year that’s in that locker room right now. There’s a different feel. There’s going to be a lot of different bodies and a lot of different guys; but that’s what happens. If you have a 6-10 season, you’re going to have a lot of change-over. That’s just part of it, whether it be on the coaching staff, whether it be in the locker room, the staff around the building. We made a lot of changes and that’s what happens.”
(Is it difficult to be honest with yourself at some points and say we’re not just a couple of pieces away? Because generally everybody would like to think they’re that close.) – “If you take the pieces of the puzzle that you either have or you’ve added and really once you get through the draft, you’ve kind of got to figure out a way to make it work. The league is so close talent-wise. Right now we look at everything in a positive light because we get our starting quarterback back.”
(Yes, but at the end of a season though.) – “I think at the end of the season we were …”
(At the end of the season, to be honest with yourself. Is that a challenge?) – “No. It’s not. That’s the easiest thing to do. We’re critical. Nobody’s ever afraid to say what either went wrong or whether they made a mistake. It’s brutal honesty. It’s not always fun to hear but that’s what it is. That’s what this league is. No one’s ever shy about telling you that you screwed up or you did something wrong or you should have got this guy over this guy. I mean that’s just part of it.”
(Based on what you said about you got your quarterback back, are you a better team now than at the end of last season?) – “Yes. I’m always going to think that way, especially when you’ve got a guy that you had a lot of confidence in, you lose him and then now he’s back. We went a long time without him. I know there’s a lot of guys that are going to be in that locker room that feel the same way because if I had to hear we get ‘17’ back one more time at the end of the year, that said a lot to me. I wasn’t the only one thinking that.”
(With QB Ryan Tannehill, obviously physically, he has to get healthy. What growth do you expect to see in this year, the second year in the offense?) – “Sometimes when you sit and watch, you look at things in a different light. I think he did a great job of trying to help where he could, but understanding I’m not the starting quarterback at the current moment. He was trying to give those guys their due, their role, and let them be who they needed to be. I think what he saw was things really … The clarity really picked up for him as far as why I was calling things when I was doing certain things, the way I’d install something. He understood things a lot better than what he had before and that gets me excited thinking ‘Wow, the fact that he didn’t play the entire year and now it makes more sense than it did before.’ And I think he understands why, when I called certain things, how the ball can come out faster and what he can do protection-wise. His brain is just moving faster just from watching. I think he’s just ready to take that next step, get back in there and get things rolling and then being able to do it.”
(You obviously have DT Jordan Phillips and DT Davon Godchaux. You know DE William Hayes can play some tackle. You’ll probably add a player. Did DT Vincent Taylor show you enough to where you can project him for any sort of meaningful role next year as you evaluate?) – “Yes, he was a guy that we felt like was playing well for us. You know it was unfortunate he got hurt. I know it was late in the season, but anytime you’ve got to go through any kind of rehab and things like that, it’s no fun. He was a guy that if he was inactive, it didn’t set well with him. You’d see a guy that would just terrorize the practice field and he’d want to make sure that everybody knew he was out there. He’s our kind of guy. I’m excited to watch him really improve in the year coming forward.”
(You mentioned a few minutes ago when I asked you all of that stuff about theme and everything, that there was a different energy in the building because it was new people, new players and new coaches. Can you expand upon that a little bit in terms of how would you describe that new energy?) – “I think you’ve just got to feel it. I think you guys will notice it kind of when we get going and you guys get around. I don’t know. There’s just something … there’s something about a lot of these guys that we brought in. Seeing Frank Gore, that gets me going. It’s been 10 years since we were together. I mean it seems like forever. The guy looks exactly the same. Just everything about him. I’m excited to see what he can do to help us and we’ve got Danny (Amendola) and Albert (Wilson) in at the same time. And then Josh (Sitton) was in there, and then Daniel (Kilgore). These guys were excited to be here. They wanted to come here. This was their decision to do it. I think they’re looking to be impact players for us.”
(The way CB Bobby McCain played last year, do you feel good about that spot?) – “Yes, I don’t know why everybody always wants to replace Bobby but all he does is just consistently play probably better than everybody else. He’s one of our guys that’s probably one of our top leaders that we have in our locker room. He’s a guy that we’ve counted on for two years and he just keeps getting better.”
(What do you hope changes in that locker room from last year to this year?) – “I mean I’m not hoping. I know it’s going to be different. We’ve got different animals going … You’ve got some alpha dogs going in there. You’ve got some guys that will go in there and they’re not going to accept a lot of the (expletive) that’s gone on in the past. We’ve got the right guys for what we’re looking for.”
(With RB Kenyan Drake, what’s the next step for him as a player? I know you don’t believe in feature backs but what’s the next step for him in terms of his growth?) – “I think it’s just consistency and doing a great job. It’s always just the amount of … It’s processing the information at a high rate and when things change, being able to be like (snaps fingers) that’s happening, I’ve got to do this. I think that’s really that next level, that next step. I really think that’s his biggest thing. There were a couple of times last year where we’d make a change and he’d kind of freeze there for a second and it’s just that he’s a tick late. That’s just time and experience, and I think we’re going to see a big jump there.”
(With you and the offense, I know that you’re a pass guy; but does it bother you that you had the least amount of rushes in the NFL?) – “A lot of the stuff we do in the passing game, I mean the ball is coming out. It was quick. We’ll be more balanced this year. I have no doubt about that. I mean we tried to do everything we could to win games. That’s all we were trying to do. I mean certain games, we had to throw it. That’s what we had to do. We got behind way too much and I feel like the only game that we were ever up was the New England game, and Denver. That was it. Besides that … I mean those games we ran the ball a healthy amount of times, especially against Denver. We’ve just got to do a better job of getting ahead and trying to play with a lead a little bit. That’s really what we need to do.”
(With respect, you’re putting a lot on QB Ryan Tannehill. He’s a .500 quarterback. He’s an 87-rating quarterback. You expect to go to the playoffs and you expect to compete with the New England Patriots because Ryan Tannehill is back?) – “I think with Ryan coming back and the amount of guys we’ve brought in on offense, I think that’s going to help us a lot. It’s not all on him. I know for us to have success, he has to play well. That’s the way this league is. There’s not a lot of times where you’re saying, ‘The quarterback is not playing well and they’re winning.’ It’s rare that’s happened. A majority of the time, the quarterback has to play well. He knows that. I know that. You guys know that. It’s no secret. The good thing is after our first four games in the first year we were together, or five games, he played pretty well. He was playing at a high level. We were excited. We had high hopes coming into last season. It didn’t work out the way we wanted to, and now we’ve got an opportunity to start over again and get going.”
(So the next time that QB Ryan Tannehill plays, he will have missed over 600 days. You see that there will be no rust, no issues relative to …?) – “That is what these guys do. They practice and then we get into the preseason. He’ll be fine. You’re worrying about something that you don’t need to worry about. Did it count when he played – everybody told me – (he played 77) straight games and never missed a snap and all that stuff? He’s played 13 out of 32 or 33 games that I’ve been here. (Expletive) happens. This is what guys do. They bounce back. They have a couple seasons where things like that happen and now he’s going to be back out there and ready to go.”
(I asked you during the season and you said, ‘Yes, it’s true, but I’m not going to be able to address it until the offseason,’ about why in each of the two years the offense started slow and then turned it on at the halfway point? Six months removed now or whatever it is, how do you explain that?) – “The first year it was really … Probably the first year was more on me trying to figure it out. I don’t know why, but it was very difficult for me to figure out how to call plays for Ryan (Tannehill). I struggled and just couldn’t get in a good feel. I think once that Pittsburgh game hit, it became a different feel for me. The next year it was really, it was a lot tougher than what I think any of us had anticipated by losing Ryan and bringing Jay (Cutler) in. It was kind of like things got flipped around for us and a lot of things that we had been working on, we weren’t doing anymore. It was like we were starting over in front of everybody. It was very tough for us to go through that first half of the season, because we looked terrible.”
(Anything with Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains that you’re going to give him to take anything off your plate? Obviously, you’ll keep calling plays as you should, but is there anything that you will give him different?) – “Dowell … We have a very easy-working relationship to where he knows me well enough to where he was doing a lot of the things that I needed him to do. I don’t really have to say anything. He just goes and he does it. He knows how to organize and he knows how to manage the staff. It’s a very smooth transition. Still having Clyde (Christensen) around is extremely helpful for us and we’ve got him doing a lot of different things with some of our younger players. Dowell knows exactly what he needs to do, what he needs to get done and where I kind of fit into this whole equation.”
(We obviously will always remember the press conference of yours after the Baltimore game, in which you talked about players not preparing. As you look back at last year, just from an introspective standpoint, is there anything you’ve decided ‘I want to do this differently as a coach now,’ whether it’s enforcing learning the playbook even more than you had or anything else?) – “We have some good thoughts on how we want to do some things moving forward. We feel confident in some of the stuff we’re looking to do this offseason in that Phase I, Phase II areas, of how we can get our guys to learn better and take things with the seriousness they need to. Sometimes you’ve got to add the right guys to show other guys the right way.”
(As you go through every corner of your roster evaluating, are you worried at all that LS John Denney has lost a step?) – “(laughter) No. I’ll tell you what, he did a great job for us last year. I’m glad that he’s back. He looks way better than I do. I know that. I think he’s older than me. Is he older than me, or am I older than him? It’s close, right?”
(You’re older than LS John Denney.) – “I’m older than him? Really?”
(I think so, no?) – “That’s a great question right there.”
(I think he’s 38.) – “We’ve got Rizzi from Davie on Line 2. (laughter)”
(Dave DeGuglielmo, what kind of coach are the Colts getting? It’s obviously an important position.) – “You’re getting an old-school line coach. He gets after it. He works hard. I think the players can feel his energy right when they step on the field. He does a great job in meetings. (He’s) very creative. He has seen every scheme known to man. It was fun for me to be around him, because we’ve worked with a lot of the same guys. Being able to talk football in generalities, that was a great experience for us. I’m happy he landed in a great place.”
